Organisations

Although there are many different federations and associations, Tae Kwon Do can be broadly divided into two schools:

• International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF, founded 1966), and
• Kukkiwon-World Taekwondo Federation (Kukkiwon-WTF, founded 1973).

Adherents of the ITF branch spell the martial art "Taekwon-do" and those of the WTF as "Taekwondo". "Tae Kwon Do" is often used as a generic spelling of the martial art in a general or historic sense to avoid these divisions. One difference between ITF Taekwon-Do and Kukkiwon-WTF Taekwondo is the patterns (the pre-set, formal sequences of movements students learn). ITF has 24 patterns (called tuls) which represent the 24 hours in a day, or the whole of a person's life, while Kukkiwon-WTF uses the Taegeuk forms (which originate from the Chinese book, I Ching).

The main difference between these two styles of pattern is that ITF patterns use a "stepping motion" (known as the "sine wave") - drawing on Newtonian physics - for hand techniques and some kicking techniques, which include moving the body in a sinusoidal motion in order to use bodyweight to increase the effectiveness of the techniques.

Many people consider the Kukkiwon-WTF style to be more of a sport, focusing on competition sparring, while ITF is considered a true martial art which includes competition-style sparring. In practice, however, it is the instructor that will have the most influence on what and how a student practices.

The ITF

The ITF had considerable success in bringing its art to the world through the '60s and early '70s. They currently maintain millions of members in more than 120 countries worldwide.

Since the death of Choi Hong Hi, the International Taekwon-Do Federation has splintered into three major groups and several smaller ones. Choi's son, Choi Jung Hwa, is head of one headquartered in Canada; a second is headquartered in Austria; the third has its headquarters in North Korea. All three groups claim to be the legitimate successor to General Choi. Various court actions are now in process.

Kukkiwon-WTF

Kukkiwon-WTF was created in Korea when General Choi Hong Hi left Korea for Canada, moving the headquarters of ITF in 1972. The WTF is recognised as the international governing body for the sport of Taekwondo by the International Olympic Committee.

It is also the only Tae Kwon Do body recognised by the South Korean government. Only students whose training is recognised by the Kukkiwon-WTF can take part in the Olympic games, highlighting the consideration of the Kukkiwon-WTF form as a sport.

Other Forms

In addition to the forms recognised for modern competition, there are also a large number of traditional forms, associated with a rich lore and history. These are becoming relatively rare in competition yet are being kept alive by some traditional masters and their students. Students trained in these traditional forms, which emphasise powerful kicks, punches, and blocks, pacing appropriate to the form, fierce concentration upon imaginary opponents, and accurate and stable stances, can do quite well when bringing these skills to their performances.